1. ERIC EBRON, North Carolina (6-4½, 252, 4.58, 1) — Third-year junior often compared to the 49ers' Vernon Davis. "Vernon is more sudden and compact," said one scout. "Twitchy. Eric's fluid. Where Eric makes his mark is being deceptive, running in gears and transitioning well in and out of breaks. I think he has special hands. You see him making one-handed palm of the ball in traffic. He has a chance to be an exceptional player, especially the way the game's played now." Two-year starter with 112 catches for 1,805 yards (16.1) and eight TDs. "He's a top-10 talent," another scout said. "He's as talented a tight end as has come out in the last five years." Played most of his career flanked wide or in the slot. "He's not a great big bulky guy but he'll block," another scout said. "Watch him against (Jadeveon) Clowney. He didn't win but he wasn't afraid. He's (Rob) Gronkowski-like but he's a lot smoother." From Greensboro, N.C. "In this new-fangled tight end position he can stretch the field and be a matchup issue," a third scout said. "He's better than (Jermichael) Finley and (Tyler) Eifert." Wonderlic of 16.

2. AUSTIN SEFERIAN-JENKINS, Washington (6-5½, 263, 4.78, 1-2) — Third-year junior from Fox Island, Wash. "He has a chance to be real good and be a red-zone guy," said one scout. "That's become more and more important. He has great catching radius and I thought he blocked all right. He's a shield and wall-off guy but he's not getting tossed around. He's not going to go soft on you. But he's better off unattached (from the formation)." Pleaded guilty to drunken driving in March 2013, spent a day in jail and was suspended for one game. Turned off some team personnel with what was described by one scout as a surly, defensive attitude. "I wouldn't say he's a bad kid," said one scout for a team in the market for a TE. "But I would say that he probably will be hostile at times to coaches. He's going to have a hard time with authority figures because he's never been around them his whole life. Very, very abrasive at times when you criticize him." Finished with 146 catches for 1,840 yards (12.6) and 21 TDs. "He's big and really has soft hands but he's lazy as heck," a third scout said. "Even in the pregame of the game I went to he was just going through the motions. He should be a good blocker because he's built so powerfully but he doesn't block that well. Where he's really good is in the red zone."

3. JACE AMARO, Texas Tech (6-5½, 266, 4.71, 2) — Set an FCS record for receiving yards (1,352, on 106 catches) by a TE in 2013. "Difficult guy to do because he's in the slot all the time," said one scout. "He's so much bigger than the people he's going against. He's not real exciting." Third-year junior from San Antonio. "People compare him a little bit to a (Mark) Bavaro or a Gronkowski in terms of just catching the ball and then being very hard to bring down," another scout said. "He's not a great athlete but he's big and strong and physical. Not a great blocker at the point. He might have the strength to be a pretty good blocker. I would say he'll be gone by (pick) 50." Caught 138 passes for 1,818 yards (13.2) and 13 TDs. "I'm not a big fan," a third scout said. "He's really soft. He's more a product of that offense than anything else."

4. TROY NIKLAS, Notre Dame (6-6½, 269, 4.8, 3-4) – Labeled "steady" by one scout. "A bit of an enigma," another scout said. "He's not as good as all the tight ends that came out of there like (Kyle) Rudolph and Eifert. He's got a little bit of softness to him. He tries (to block). It's disappointing just because he's 270 and he thinks he's a 240-pound tight end. He'd rather be in the slot than doing the dirty work inside." Third-year junior from Fullerton, Calif., recruited as a DE but made 20 tackles as a true freshman LB in 2011. Two-year starter at TE with 37 catches for 573 yards (15.5) and six TDs. "I really didn't like him," a third scout said. "This guy is just a big, lumbering guy." His uncle, Bruce Matthews, was a Hall of Fame lineman. "He's just got to (mature) and get a little tougher," a fourth scout said. "He's got the size. He needed another year. He shouldn't have come out. Got a lot of tools to work with."

5. C.J. FIEDOROWICZ, Iowa (6-5½, 266, 4.77, 3-4) – Three-year starter with 91 catches for 899 yards (9.9) and 10 TDs. "He's an all-around guy," said one scout. "I'd take him over Amaro. He has a chance to be a good, solid blocker. He doesn't run real good. He can catch." Recruited by Wisconsin and Indiana as a basketball player. Paige, his sister, played basketball at Marquette from 2008-'11. "Typical Iowa kid," said another scout. "He's dependable, reliable." From Johnsburg, Ill. "He'll be a journeyman No. 3 type," a third scout said. "He's not a starter. He's just a guy."

6. COLT LYERLA, ex-Oregon (6-4, 242, 4.58, 3-FA) – Quit the team Oct. 6 after 2½ event-filled years in Eugene. Two weeks later, he was arrested for cocaine possession. "I bet he's off 80% of the teams' draft boards," one scout said. "Talented guy but into all kinds of (expletive). I think you can touch him in the sixth or seventh rounds." Best vertical jump (39) and broad jump (10-8) of all TEs and tied Ebron for swiftest 40. Caught 34 passes for 565 yards (16.6) and 11 TDs. Also played some RB, carrying 13 times for 77. "More of a receiver," said another scout. "Doesn't block well. Knowing Ted (Thompson), I don't think Ted would mess with a guy like that." Mourned the departure of coach Chip Kelly to the Eagles after his second season and it was all downhill after that. "Drugs, quitting, you name it, it's happened," a third scout said. "I would never trust him. I couldn't imagine anyone taking him with those credentials. No way." From Hillsboro, Ore. Wonderlic of 24.
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